A Montage of Mason Jar Projects

One of our paint experts, Lisa Deer, spent some time doing testing with various mason jar craft techniques and here are the results:

Silver Mason Jar Vase

All you will need is a Mason jar and a can of Krylon “Looking Glass” Spray Paint

The Silver Mason Jar is made by spraying two coats of the Looking Glass on the outside of the jar. Because the paint is on the outside of the jar it is safe to use as a flower vase, candy jar or any sort of storage can.

Krylon suggests spraying the inside of the vase for a mirror effect, but

remember that the spray paint should not come in contact with food and it may cause problems if

you use it as a vase.

Silver Faux Mercury Glass

Again for this craft you will need a Mason jar and Krylon Looking Glass spray paint, but you will also need a spray bottle with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water, plus a clean rag.

-mist the jar with the vinegar mixture very lightly until you get random size water droplets, but no drips

-then gently mist the jar with the spray paint, again only enough that it is not dripping

-let the jar dry enough that the areas where there weren’t large water droplets are completely dry

-blot the remaining water droplets with your clean rag

-repeat these steps until you achieve your desired look

This jar makes a lovely vase or would look awesome with a tea light inside. Think about the look of an evening wedding with many of these illuminated jars throughout the room.

Colored Glass Mason Jars

These jars require a few more ingredients than the silver versions, but the effect is pretty impressive. Just remember that because the interior of these jars are covered with Mod Podge it is not a good idea to use them with water or for food storage.

Items needed:

-Water

-Mason jar

-Food coloring

-Mod Podge (gloss)

– Rubbing alcohol

– Mixing sticks (Lisa used popsicle sticks)

-Measuring spoons

-Disposable cups

-Newspaper

-Wax paper

-Baking sheet

-Oven (set to 225°F)

Start by cleaning the inside of the jar with the rubbing alcohol. Line the baking sheet with a few layers of newspaper. Next is the tricky part, pour some of the Mod Podge into a disposable cup(Lisa eyed the amount needed since her recipe called for a small jar using 1TBS of Mod Podge). Add a small amount of water (around 1/2tsp). You don’t want to thin out the Mod Podge too much (Lisa tested this out by tipping the cup and watching how quickly it ran back down when set on the table -you don’t want it to be so thick that it barley runs but not too thin where it doesn’t leave much stuck to the cup).

When you have the mixture to a thickness that makes you happy, add coloring. This part can be very hard due to the fact that when the Mod Podge dries it dries clear and brightens the color. In order to get the dark green jar, Lisa made a very dark blue-green mixture. To get the brown jar, Lisa made a very muddy greenish brown looking color. Pour the mixture into the jar. Slowly tip and rotate the jar so that the mixture fully covers the inside(don’t rotate too quickly-you want to get a nice thick coating).

When you get to the top of the jar, slowly rotate over the cup you mixed your color in to allow any large amount of coloring to drain out. Place the jar upside down on the newspaper lined baking sheet. Let it sit untouched for one hour so that the excess coloring can run out and pool on the baking sheet under the mouth of the jar. After one hour remove jars and place right side up. Throw out soiled newspapers and place wax paper on the baking sheet. Place the jar right side up on the wax paper.

Bake at 225°F for 45 minutes,if the color isn’t transparent after 45 minutes leave in until transparent. Remove from oven and let cool.

**these do not make good vases for flowers that need water, due to the fact Mod Podge is a form of glue, adding water to it will make it get mushy over time and start to get cloudy. The Mod Podge may even kill your flowers. The colored jars make really nice candle holders or vases for dried flower arrangements**